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Cat’s Morning Bits for January 2, 2019

Good Morning Beautiful Souls, grab a cup of your favorite morning brew and start things off with “Today’s Inspirations”. I hope you find something here that will make you feel good or help you on your path today.

Blessings, Cat

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Janus am I; oldest of potentates;
Forward I look, and backward, and below
I count, as god of avenues and gates,
The years that through my portals come and go.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82)

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Spirituality & Health

A Call for Revolution: Rebels for PeaceBY HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA
At eighty-two, I am ready to say my goodbyes. According to my age, I am a man of the twentieth century, but my yearning for peace, so deeply rooted in me, makes me feel that I belong more to the future of the world, and to the younger generation. In that sense, you and I are the same age, the age of renewal.

The end of my life and the first part of yours are at a crossroads. The point where our paths join is like that brief moment when night and dawn meet in the sky. It is no longer night, but it is not yet daybreak. A new day is being born. It is as though one page is turning on the horizon to the next one. It is up to you, my young friends, to write the next chapter of our history. I hope it will be the most beautiful and joyful chapter in the entire memory of humankind.
Read more.

After years as a feng shui consultant, I’ve seen firsthand how interior design can transform people’s lives in positive and uplifting ways. The month of January is actually considered the best time to prepare for a feng shui makeover since it falls right before the Chinese New Year and during a time when many of us are dedicated to self-improvement of some kind.

“In past years, youve probably targeted minor vices — eat fewer snacks, exercise more, whatever your particular self-admonitions may be. But it is too easy to get lost in the particulars — and in the negatives. This time around, try something a little different.”

You may have come across a recipe at some point that called for preserved lemons but didn’t have a clue as to what they were. Preserved lemons, also known in various parts of the world as country lemons, lemon pickles and leems, are widely used in Middle Eastern, Indian and Moroccan cuisines. In Morocco, in particular, they are called Hamad m’rakhad, L’hamb Mssayr and most affectionately as Lim mraqqed, which means “lemons put to sleep.” Preserved in a brine of lemon juice, salt and spices, the lemony flavor of the fruit is wildly enhanced while its tartness on the tongue is tamed. Read more…

You believe you are no different than before you initiated your transition. Yet, you have become belligerent when feeling pushed, belittled, or ignored. You also feel more joy than you anticipated mere days ago.

Tonight – January 2, 2019 according to clocks in the Americas – we reach Earth’s closest point to the sun for this entire year. That closest point comes at 11:20 p.m. CST (central U.S.) on January 2. It’ll be the morning of January 3 for Europe and Africa … later in the day January 3 for the rest of the world (January 3 at 5:20 UTC; translate to your time zone). Astronomers call this special point in our orbit perihelion, from the Greek roots peri meaning near and helios meaning sun.

________________________Patheos-Pagan: A Three-Part Spell for Self-Love and Esteem

Winter is hard. Especially the start of the new year. The holidays take their toll, even when they’re really good times. And after the holidays, there is the cleaning and putting things away and then everybody goes back to work. We’re not really thinking about self-love.

The key word here is “appear.” So many times it’s just easier to put on a mask, to play a role, to go along with what is expected of us. But the courage is in being authentic, in being true to ourselves and our convictions. Being true to ourselves is one thing – but showing the world who we are is another. Do we dare risk judgement? When we are authentic we answer to ourselves, we know that to appear to be anything other, anything less than “what one is” is heart-breaking.

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Beliefnet: 6 Ways to Regain Your Joy

Learn how to cultivate this beautiful, elusive emotion.

Joy is unlike any other emotion. Unlike happiness, which we often feel as a result of things outside of us, joy is something that is cultivated internally. It is a unique combination of satisfaction, peace, and intense positivity that provides what many describe as a spiritual experience.